Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0Most of Colon Township commutes out: there are 0.3 jobs for every working resident
Colon Township grades C+ for jobs and income and B for walkability. Employers in Colon Township report 400 jobs, and 1,386 of its residents work somewhere. About one in ten work in Colon Township; the top destination outside it is Sturgis (11%, 11 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Colon Township: the gist
Fewer jobs are based in Colon Township than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Colon Township fell from 668 in 2011 to 400 in 2021, −40%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
Colon Township makes and builds things
39% of the jobs based in Colon Township are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Colon Township residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 44%. The jobs ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Colon Township
55% of Colon Township residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 36% of the jobs based in Colon Township pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 90% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2021, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; 2021 is the newest year Michigan has published.
Jobs & income in Colon Township: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Colon Township is better than 40% of U.S. towns, #488 of 701 in Michigan. Unemployment holds Colon Township’s grade up (3.5%, U.S. 5.2%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 22% of U.S. towns). It also does well on the poverty rate.
The commuting and job counts on this page are Census LEHD 2021: Michigan reports later than other states, so its newest year is three years behind.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Colon Township could be anywhere from C− to B+.
In Colon Township, 39% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Colon Township, 2011 → 2021: 668 → 400. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2021.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Colon Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In and out of Colon Township on a workday
On a workday 1,250 residents head out to work, 136 work right here, and 264 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,400 people are in Colon Township on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2021, primary jobs.
The towns that employ Colon Township’s residents
Where Colon Township clocks in
11% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Colon Township’s commute takes about 22 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Colon Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,385 commuters (the 7% who work from home are left out). Across Michigan: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Miles to work from Colon Township
About 22% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2021.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Most of Colon Township commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Colon Township is more walkable than 65% of U.S. towns, #161 of 701 in Michigan. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 19.2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 3.8% across Michigan, on an EPA index of 5.2.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,484 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 22.3% of Colon Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Colon Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
2,756th of 4,593: where Colon Township ranks among U.S. towns of 2,300 to 4,500
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 139 | Dexter MI | 4,461 | $107K | 0.8% | 2.1% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 148 | Village of Grosse Pointe Shores MI | 2,533 | $190K | 2.7% | 3.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,754 | Locust Township IL | 3,144 | $71K | 8.0% | 5.8% | 1% | C+ |
| 2,755 | Patoka Township IN | 2,759 | $67K | 16.2% | 1.9% | 4% | C+ |
| 2,756 | Colon Township MI | 3,336 | $66K | 9.2% | 3.5% | 10% | C+ |
| 2,757 | Portage Township MI | 3,234 | $67K | 8.6% | 3.2% | 6% | C+ |
| 2,758 | Spring Valley MN | 2,431 | $66K | 9.3% | 3.9% | 20% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,593 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 19% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Colon Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Around Colon Township: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Nottawa Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Colon Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colon Township | – | C+ | B | 22 min | $65,602 |
| Matteson Township | under 3% | C | C− | 27 min | $70,385 |
| Leonidas Township | under 3% | C− | C− | 27 min | $70,673 |
| Nottawa Township | 4% | C+ | C+ | 24 min | $62,094 |
| Burr Oak Township | under 3% | B+ | C+ | 22 min | $67,273 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Colon Township’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2021, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Colon Township: questions
What is the median household income in Colon Township?
$65,602 (±$7,771) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Colon Township?
9.2%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Colon Township?
22 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Colon Township work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sturgis (11%, 11 mi), Lockport Township (6%, 12 mi), Coldwater (4%, 18 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Colon Township walkable?
Colon Township is more walkable than 65% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 5.2 out of 20, and 19% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Colon Township without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 22% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Colon Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Colon Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2021, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.